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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Ever since we moved into our house in August I've been dying to redo our master bath. I painted it a tan color when we moved in but knew it was more of a temporary fix. Here is a picture of the bathroom when we first moved in. As you can see all the fixtures are brass... which is not at all my style. So in the next few months I'll be working hard to makeover the bathroom and documenting the progress along the way! Stay tuned!

Here is the master bath now... I spray painted the light fixtures bronze and replaced the cabinet knobs. But it's still very standard builder looking.

I was recently watching Design Inc on FLN and saw the creation of this bathroom and knew it was exactly what I wanted to do.

While my bathroom is not nearly as spacious as this one I am going to use the same theme and go for a more sophisticated look. Here is the plan:

- Remove builders mirror and replace with two separate mirrors. (This could be harder than originally planned since I've realized that the mirror is glued to the wall. Hopefully this does not include replacing any drywall that comes down with it.- Replace knobs, light fixtures and all other bath hardware with brushed satin nickel ones.- Remove brass shower doors. Rather than replacing them I'm going to use a shower curtain instead. To make the room look even more luxurious I'm going to add an additional curtain at the top of the shower to make it look taller.- Repaint the walls with "Light Silver Sage" from Restoration Hardware. I knew I wanted a similar color to this and happened to snag a gallon of it at the Restoration Outlet this past weekend for only $17!!- Replace brass faucets and shower hardware with Brushed Nickel ones.

Friday, April 17, 2009

This past weekend my lovely sister Sarah and I worked our butts off sewing a roman shade for my kitchen. If you remember from my previous post I ordered a kit from Shadescapes to help make the process easier. I purchased about 4 yards of Damask fabric from Joann and we were off!

The hardest part of the process was trying to get the fabric the appropriate size. Due to the large size (70 inches) of my window I had to purchase fabric that was 52 inches and attach additional pieces on each side. Now considering that the fabric I wanted was a complicated pattern this was without a doubt the most time consuming part of the project. Here is a picture of Sarah lining up the patterns so we can finally get started!

This is what it looked like once the lining was attached...

And here is the finished product... I am thrilled with the way it turned out! It was a lot of time and effort but in the end it did cost hundreds less than having something custom made. It would definitely be easier if you're looking to do this for a smaller window where you don't have to worry about the fabric not being wide enough.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

So a few months ago I fell in love with this "Park Mirrored Bedside Table" from Pottery Barn. They are just girlie enough to compliment the masculine bedroom furniture we already have. The price however, is a little too steep for Mr. O' to agree to.

Pier 1's Hayworth line is quite similar and for a quite a bit less than the PB version you can have the same look.

I have to admit I'm even more obsessed with the jewelry armoire... I need something larger to hold everything than the box I have on my dresser and this would be perfect!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I recently discovered a design show that I'm absolutely obsessed with. It's called "Design Inc" and can be found on the Fine Living Network. It follows interior designer Sarah Richardson and her team as they complete a job for a client all within a 30 minute show! If you haven't seen any Sarah's designs definitely check out her website www.sarahrichardsondesign.com. She has such amazing taste and I love the way she blends classic traditional styles with a modern approach. Her designs always look so peaceful and calm. Here are a few of my favorites:

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

I finally finished painting the kitchen last night. I have to admit it was a bigger pain than I had expected. Luckily, after painting every other room in my house I am quite the pro. The color I used is "English Tan" by Ralph Lauren. I really like the way it brings the room together, yet doesn't make it too dark. This isn't the best of pictures but wanted to show you all how it is coming along. I also spray painted the ceiling light with a metallic bronze color to match the lamp over the island. More pictures to follow in the coming days. My roman shade kit should arrive tomorrow so I should be starting that this weekend!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

I have been lusting over these amazing Simon Pearce glass lamps for years and it seems like others have too. In the past few months they have been popping up everywhere from Pottery Parn and Restoration Hardware to the Christmas Tree Shop, and at a much better price.

Simon Pearce Shelburne Lamp

I recently discovered these beauties at JCPenney. They have a gorgeous glass base and a simple yet summer-like banana leaf shade. The shade of course could be swapped out for the winter months when you change your decor. And at $99 they are quite the steal.

Monday, April 6, 2009

A few months ago I stumbled across this "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster on shabbychic.com. In the following weeks it seemed to be everywhere I looked... it even appeared on an episode of Lipstick Jungle! Since I did not want to pay the $200 plus dollars to purchase it from Shabby Chic I decided to do it myself.

I ordered a poster from keepcalmandcarryon.com direct from England. What I did not realize is that the size would be European and I could not find a frame the same size. So I purchased a silver frame that was close to the size and planned to paint the frame and cut down the poster. With a little help from my dad, who has a printing company, the poster was cut down to fit in the frame and I used white spray paint to give the frame a vintage feel. Here is the end product, I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Although it's officially been spring for two weeks, it still does not feel like it's here to stay. When it comes to my house however, spring is out in full force. I've added some little decor updates to bring spring inside. Here are a few things I was inspired by:

Thursday, April 2, 2009

So the new Pottery Barn catalog is out... and it's the summer edition. While I do feel we aren't quite ready to skip over spring there are so many cute ideas this year! I absolutely love all the clean, crisp colors and textures they have used.

I am now obsessed with the way this mantle was decorated and will be doing something similar in my own home.

And this lemon tree is perfect for my kitchen!

I have found some adorable shells and lanterns at Homegoods recently so I will be stocking up in time for summer.

Since before we moved into our home I have been looking for the perfect shade for our large kitchen window. After 6 plus months of searching I have decided to make some myself. I want a simple black and white damask pattern to fit in with the soon to be painted kitchen. So after reading a posting on isabellaandmaxrooms I just ordered a kit from Shadescapes and using some fabric I found at Joann. Wish me luck.. I'm going to be taking some pics along the way so I can post again to document the process.

Well, I have a busy weekend ahead of me. I am constantly trying to work on decorating my home in my spare time and this weekend is no exception. This weekend I plan on painting my kitchen, spray painting the kitchen flush-mount light a bronze color and hopefully taking down the railings on our stair so I can spray the ugly brass mountings too. Let's keep our fingers crossed for good weather! Here's a before picture of the kitchen... updated pics to follow soon!